This invention relates to a label imprinting machine with a cartridge inking system.
A known label imprinting machine prints designations, such as product expiration dates or encoded information on labels in any combinations of numbers and letters. It handles labels with dimensions from one inch by two inches (2.54 cm by 5.08 cm) up to a maximum of six inches by eight inches (15.2 cm by 20.3 cm). The labels may already have thereon other information that does not change.
The known machine includes a feed hopper, a stacking hopper, an imprinting station where labels are imprinted, means for transporting imprinted labels, one after the other, from the feed hopper to the imprinting station and for transporting imprinted labels from the imprinting station to the stacking hopper.
The known machine also has, at the imprinting station, a printing head or roll with a removable type holder that can be changed to bear the desired information to be imprinted on the labels.
The known machine further comprises an inking system including a metal ink distribution roll and a rubber ink roll tangential to the ink distribution roll. The ink roll is tangential to the face of the type on the printing head. Ink is applied from a bottle to the distribution roll and the ink roll, and the machine is run for a few cycles to distribute the ink evenly on the rolls. The labels are then fed to the imprinting station where ink is picked up by the printing head from the ink roll and applied to the labels.
The inking system of the known machine is subject to a number of disadvantages.
One such disadvantage of the known machine is that it is difficult to achieve and maintain uniformity of ink distribution on the various surfaces and ink delivery to the labels. If there is too much ink, the imprinted information tends to blur and furthermore tends to smear when the imprinted labels are stacked in the stacking hopper. If there is too little ink, the imprinted information tends to be too faint to be legible.
Another such disadvantage of the known machine is that the components of the inking system must often be disassembled and cleaned, resulting in excessive machine down time and increased cost of performing the imprinting function.
It is therefore an important object of the invention to modify the known machine by providing therein an improved and superior inking system that overcomes the disadvantages ennumerated above.
It is a further object to provide such an improved and superior inking system which is of simple construction and hence does not result in any substantial increase in the cost of the machine.
Other objects and advantages will appear hereinafter.